Cultivator



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1. C. W. POST.

GULTIVATOR. No. 279,980.

y Patented June 26, 1883. f

n www. wwww". c cv 2 Sheets- Sheet 2. C. W. POST.

GULTIVATOR.

(No Model.)

Patented June 26, 1883.

UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I CHARLES V. POST, OF SPRING-FIELD, ILLINOIS.

CULTIVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 279,980, dated June 26,1883,

(No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES XV. POST, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, Vin the county of Sangamon and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCultivators, of which the following is a specification.

My inventionrelates to improvements in cultivators in which the beamsare coupled to a loose sleeve upon the axle, and are actuated, whenraising and lowering them, by a spring secured to the arch of thecultivator.

The objects of my invention are to provide means for the lateraladjustment of the beams upon their respective sleeves and for thevertical adjustment of the forward` end of the beams independent of butupon the sleeve, and at the same time prevent the beams from having alaterally-rocking movement, so th at they may be more effectually guidedto or from a corn-hill by the operator, to provide means forcounterbalancing the weight of the beamst when in their operativeposition., so as to relieve the operator as much as practical from theweight of the beams when working the beams laterally 5 to provide meansfor a more gradual release of the beams from the power of thelifting-spring than is commonly attained, and without giving the springan increasing lifting-power when elevating 'the beams above theiroperative position to suspend them in hooks depending from the frame ofthe cultivator, and, finally, to provide certain novel details ofconstruction, hereinafter described. I attain these objects by devicesillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is aperspective of a cultivator embodying my invention 5 Fig. 2, a'detailperspective of the sleeve and coupling devices connected thereto, andFig. 3 a similar view taken from the opposite side of the sleeve andcoupling devices from that of Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicatethe same parts in the several guresof. the drawings.

A represents the usual arched axle, supported upon wheels, and in turnsupporting the frame B of the cultivator, from which depends hooks a.,adapted to suspend beams C when elevated above their operative position.

have a bearing against the inner i'aces of the castings l), and whilepreventing the beams from rocking permits them to be swung laterally ina straight line, and hence the shovels to be adjusted laterally withoutpermitting their faces to assume an oblique relative to a vertical line.

On the axle, between the hubs of the wheels and the arch of the axle, isa cylindricalsleeve, E, provided with an external longitudinal rib, c,and sleeved on the sleeve E is a yoke, d, which, when taken alone, isfree to reciprocate on the sleeve, but prevented from turning by reasonof a notch (see Fig. 2) embracing the rib c of the sleeve. Yoke dconfines the coupling D, which has a bearing, against and betweenfianges on a block, c, concaved and grooved on its opposite side toconform tothe sleeve and its rib, and, like the yoke, reciprocate butnot rotate on the sleeve, the flanges on the blockcserving to maintainthe coupling against a lateral movement, but not interfering with thevertical adjustment of the coupling, hereinaftcr described.

rlhe outer and perpendicular face ofthe coup ling is provided withserrations f, enga-ged by a correspondingly-serrated plate, F, transversely grooved at g to straddle the yoke d, the yoke itseltlterminating in a bolt projecting through a perforation in the plate, andhaving screw-threaded thereon one or more nuts, 71 bearing against theplate when tightened.

From the above-described construction it will be understood that whilethe beams of my cultivator have an axial movement about the axle byreason of the sleeve, they may have their forward ends verticallyadjusted by raising and lowering the coupling D and securing `it in thedesired position by tightening the plate F against the yoke, theserrations more effeetually preventing the plate from working loose thanif the adjacent faces of the plate and IOO coupling were plain. Theadvantages of this construction are that both the vertical and lateraladjustment of a beam may be made simultaneously by the manipulation of asingle nut, and that when once adjusted the several parts areeffectually secured against accidental displacement, for, as will beseen, tightening the nut h forces the plate against the coupling, thecoupling against the block, and the block against the sleeve, the yokein the meantime being drawn in the opposite direction and tightened onthe sleeve, while, on the other hand, loosening the nut enables the yokeand block to beshifted along the sleeve for lateral, while making thevertical, adjustment of the coupling'. Furthermore, the several partsare of a convenient form for economical casting, and require little orno finishing.

Cast with or otherwise secured to the sleeve E is a bent arm, G, which,rising perpendicular to the sleeve, extends forward toward and parallelwith the beams, and has pivoted in its free end a bifureated hook-arm,H, connected with the straight arm of a spring, l, by a link,

'17, the upper end of which spring is coiled and secured to and near thetop ofthe arch of the cultivator by an adjustable locking-plate, 7.x, ofany preferred construction.

By reference to Fig. l. it will be seen that when the beams are down andin their operative position. the spring is exerting it greatest powerand the bifurcated arm extends along the length of the overhangingportion oi' the bent arm, and that with these parts in this position theweight of the beam is counterbalaneed, or at least so nearly so that theoperator may swing the beam laterally without having to bear asubstantial part ofits weight-a desirable object to attain in this classof devices. As the beams are lifted above their operative position tohang them on the hooks c the tension, and hencethe power of spring i,correspondingly diminishes, but in. raising the beam the overhangingportion ofthe bent arm G rises toward a vertical line and correspond` ingly increases in length of l.everage,thereby increasing theeffectiveness of the beams, though not fully compensating for the lossof power of the spring, owing to its diminished tension.

rEhe purpose ofthe bent arm G is not to give the spring an increasingpower as the beams rise, for, on the contrary, it is desirable to avoidgiving the spring that function, but to compensate to some extent fortheloss of power in the spring until the greater portion Aof the weightof the beams is supported by the axle, which is done shortly before thebeams reach the hook, owing to the angle oi' thebeams rel ative to theaxle.

fivresse Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is*

1. The combination, with the axle-sleeve E and withthe coupling D, ofthe double yoke d and blocks ef, embracing the coupling and sleeve,substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the sleeve provided with a longitudinal rib andwith the coupling, of a yoke embracing the coupling and .notched to iitthc rib of the sleeve, and longitudinally adjustable upon the sleeve,substantially as described.

3. The combination of the sleeve, the coupling, the plate, and the yokeprovided with a bolt projecting therefrom, and a nut working upon saidbolt and bearing against the plate to lock the several parts togetherafter adjustment, substantially as described.

4L. rlhe combination7 with the sleeve, of a coupling pivoted to the beams and partially surroun ding and closely embracing the sleeve, andmechanism, substantially as described, adapting said coupling to bebothlaterally and perpendieularly adjusted, as set forth.

The combination, with the sleeve, the yoke, and the coupling having itsinner face embracing the sleeve and it-s outer face serrated, oiacorrespondinglyserrated plate, and means for lockingsaid plate to thecoupling, substantially as described.

6. In a cultivator, the combination, with the sleeve, of a bent armrigidly secured thereto 'and extending toward the beam, and alifting-spring arranged forward of the sleeve and connected with thebentarm, substantially as described.

7. In a cultivator, the combination, with a liiting-spring, theaxle-sleeve, and the beam, of an arm attached directly to the sleeve andto the spring, the arrangement of said arm be ing such that as thetension of the spring de creases when lifting the beam, the leverage ofthe arm will increase, substantially as and for the purpose described.

S. The combination, with the beam, the sleeve, and the bent arm casttherewith and projecting toward and substantially parallel. with thebeam, of the lifting-spring and the bifurcated hook arm pivotallyconnecting the bent arm and spring, substantially as described.

GHARLES NV. POST.

' Vitnesses:

Gao. H. SOUTHER, U. L. Posr.

IOO

